1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a crutch and more particularly to a crutch that assists a person with a leg injury in walking and that supports such leg when sitting.
2. Description of the Related Art
When a person suffers a leg injury such as a sprain or fracture, they rely on assistive devices to remain mobile. Such devices provide physical support so that the injured leg is not subjected to any stress during the healing period. An assistive device can be defined as any item, piece of equipment, or product system that is used to increase or improve flinctional capabilities of individuals with disabilities or injuries. A crutch is an example of as assistive device that is frequently prescribed to those who suffer from a leg injury in order to help such individual maintain their quality of life.
Crutches have traditionally assumed a static role in that they have simply been used to assist the injured individual in moving from one place to another. However, in situations where the individual assumes a sitting position, ahe injured leg often cannot be bent or cannot rest on the floor. Further, the injured leg must quite often be raised so as to prevent pooling of blood therein. In such circumstances, the injured leg must be placed on a chair, stool or other such support that enables the leg to be maintained in a raised or elevated position. However, in many instances, these types of supports are not available.
To address this problem, various solutions have been provided in the art wherein known axillary crutches are modified so as to be convertible to a leg support device. For example, in U.S. Pat. No. 5,318,068, there is taught a cast support device that can be attached to an axillary crutch. Such device comprises a hinged arm structure that is attached to the side of a cratch. When required, the crutch is laid flat on the ground and the structure is unfolded and locked in place to form a leg support structure. When the individual no longer requires the leg support, the device is collapsed and the crutch is used in the normal manner. Such device, however, includes various deficiencies. Firstly, the complex structure of the device makes it difficult to use and adds considerably to the weight of the crutch. Further, since the cratch is laid on the floor and used as a base for the support device, it poses a safety hazard to others that may be passing by.
A further leg support device is taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,313,971. In this case, the device consists of a sling supported by two commonly Inown axillary crutches, which are biased against each other in a generally upright orientation. The support device includes a hood that covers the top ends of the crutches thereby holding the crutches in place. The device also includes a sling that hangs from the hood. Although relatively simple in structure, the device taught by this patent occupies a fair amount of space and becomes quite visible when assembled. Furthermore, the device is predicated upon having two axillary crutches available, which is not always the case. Finally, since the device is separate from the ctches, it may be misplaced or not available when needed.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,735,303 teaches yet another leg supporting device wherein a typical metal type axillary crutch is provided, at its lower end, with a pair of short, pivotally attached legs. Such legs are extended when the injured person requires to be seated and the top end of the crutch is placed on the person""s chair, underneath the injured leg. The short legs of the crutch device are used to support the bottom end of the crutch on the floor. In this manner, the crutch becomes an elevated support structure on which the injured leg may be placed. Although the device taught in this patent is quite easy to use, the independent pivotal connection of the short legs requires them to be carefally positioned together so as to provide the desired support. Further, the un-hindered attachment of the legs to the crutch makes them quite unstable in that they may easily be knocked out of position when supporting a leg thereby possibly causing further injury to the leg being supported. In addition, the short support legs of this patent are not maintained in position when the crutch is used for walking. As such, the legs would be continually moving thereby creating a nuisance and, possibly, posing an injury risk.
The present invention seeks to obviate the degciencies of the leg elevating crutch devices known in the art.
In one aspect, the present invention provides an assistive device comprising a crutch having a support apparatus, the device being positionable in a first, walking orientation, wherein the device is used for assisting in walking, and a second, supporting orientation, wherein the device is used for supporting an injured leg in a generally horizontal position, and wherein:
the crutch includes a first pair of spaced, elongate support members, the members being connected at a first end by an axillary support, and connected at an opposite second end to a foot, the crutch firer including a hand grip, extending between and connected to the elongate support members, the hand grip being located between the axillary support and the foot;
the support apparatus includes a second pair of elongate members pivotally connected to the first pair of elongate members, between the first and second ends thereof, the second pair of members being substantially parallel to the first pair of members and being generally co-planar therewith when the device is in the first position; whereby, when the device is in the second position, one of the first or second ends is
supported on a raised surface and the opposite end is supported by the supporting apparatus.
In another aspect, the present invention provides a method of forming an assistive device comprising a crutch having a support apparatus, the device being positionable in a first, walking orientation, wherein the device is used for assisting in walking, and second, leg supporting orientation, wherein the device is used for supporting an injured leg in a generally horizontal position, the method comprisitng:
a) providing a first crutch and a second crutch,
the first crutch including a first pair of spaced, elongate support members, the members being connected at a first end by an axillary support, and connected at an opposite second end to a foot, the crutch flirter including a hand grip, extending between and connected to the elongate support members and located between the axillary support and the foot;
the second crutch including a second pair of spaced, elongate support members;
b) cutting a portion of the second crutch to provide lengths of the second support members, the lengths having first aind second ends; and,
c) pivotally connecting the first ends of the lengths of the second cutch to the first crutch, whereby the second support members of the portion of the second crutch are generally parallel and co-planar with the first support members when the device is in the first position.